1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical dust collector, and more particularly to an electrical dust collector for electrically collecting and removing particle impurities, such as dust particles, in air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known domestic or office air conditioners have been generally used for conditioning room air optimally and provided with an air filter for purifying the room air by filtering off particle impurities, such as dust particles. However, the known air filter has a problem in that it can not filter off micro impurities, such as cigarette smoke.
In order to overcome such a problem of the known air filter, there has been proposed several types of electrical dust collectors. FIG. 1 shows a construction of a general type of known electrical dust collector. As shown in this drawing, the electrical dust collector generally includes a main body 1 provided with an inlet 1a and an outlet 1b at opposite ends thereof, respectively. In the main body 1 between the inlet 1a and the outlet 1b, a plurality of dust collect electrodes 3 and a plurality of discharge electrodes 4 are longitudinally alternately arranged such that they face and parallel to each other. These electrodes 3 and 4 are applied with high voltages of opposite polarities supplied by a high voltage generator 2. The known electric dust collector further includes a blower 5 disposed at a position near the outlet 1b for causing the air to be introduced into the body 1 through the inlet 1a and exhausted therefrom through the outlet 1b after purification.
In operation of this type of known electric dust collector, the electrodes 3 and 4 are applied with negative (-) voltage and positive (+) voltage, both supplied by the high voltage generator 2, respectively. Hence, an ionization field is formed between the electrodes 3 and 4. In this condition, when the room air reaches the ionization field as result of blower operation, the dust particles in the room air are ionized by the discharge electrodes 4, which are applied with the positive (+) voltage as aforementioned, and positively charged. This positively charged dust particles are then collected by the dust collect electrodes 3 which are applied with the negative (-) voltage. The dust particles in the room air are, therefore, removed from the room air and the purified air is exhausted from the main body 1 through the outlet 1b.
However, it has been noted that the dust collect efficiently of the known electric dust collector is remarkably affected by construction and arrangement of the dust collect electrodes 3 and the discharge electrodes 4.
With reference to FIG. 2, which is a perspective view of an embodiment of a dust collect part of the know electric dust collector, this dust collect part includes a charged plate 6 provided with a plurality of openings 6a. This dust collect part further includes a plurality of discharge electrode plates 7 each of which is integrally formed with a plurality of wedge-shaped electrodes 7a horizontally extending from a longitudinal side of the plate 7. Here, all of the discharge electrode plates 7 are arranged with respect to the charged plate 6 such that their wedge-shaped electrodes 7aface predetermined positions of individual openings 6aof the charged plate 6. In addition, a plurality of dust collect plates 8 are arranged between the discharge electrode plates 7 such that the plates 7 and 8 are alternately disposed. The discharge plates 7 and the dust collect plates 8 are applied with positive (+) voltage and negative (-) voltage from a high voltage generator (not shown), respectively. In the same manner as described in the electrical dust collector of FIG. 1, the dust particles in the room air passing through the collector are ionized with cations by the wedge-shaped electrodes 7a of the discharge plates 7 applied with the positive (+) voltage, and positively charged. These positively charged dust particles are then collected by the dust collect plates 8 applied with the negative (-) voltage. Thus, the dust particles are removed from the room air and the purification of the room air is achieved.
However, it is very difficult to position the discharge electrode plates 7 with respect to the charged plate 6 such that the wedge-shaped electrodes 7a of the plates 7 accurately face the predetermined positions of the individual openings 6a of the charged plates 6. This reduces productivity and increases manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the dust particles are collected and coated by the additionally mounted dust collect plates 8 and this causes another problem of the dust collector to be resided in that the dust collect efficiency is inevitably deteriorated.